


King and Lionheart

by newyork_institute



Series: Lay Your Weary Head to Rest [4]
Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Apollo has a choice to make, Apollo has had enough, Apollo is stuck between a wall and a hard place, Apollo wants to be left ALONE, Athena can be a bitch at times, Banishment, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives Lives, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives Needs a Hug, Cody finds Obi-Wan fascinating, Family Drama, Fives has no idea what's about to happen, Greek Gods meet the Jedi Order, Greek Language, Hades and Poseidon have had enough, Hurt No Comfort (breifly), M/M, Mount Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), New Sith Wars (mentioned), Obi-Wan finds the Greek Gods fascinating, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, This family sucks, Zeus is a shit dad, Zeus is abusive, and his jedi brother and sister, apollo needs a hug, good thing his brothers are there, if Apollo could give Fives the world he would, shit is about to go down, touch the cutie get the shootie, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:21:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28581183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newyork_institute/pseuds/newyork_institute
Summary: The truth can be a hard pill to swallow, especially if it's been kept for so long from everyone around you. The consequences are destructive, and no one's ready for them to come to light. Especially Apollo, who's lied to everyone since coming to Coruscant about who he is and where he's from.Only time will tell how everyone takes it.
Relationships: Apollo & Artemis, Apollo & Athena, Apollo/Icarus (mentioned), Athena & Artemis, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives/Apollo (Greek God), Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Lay Your Weary Head to Rest [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054007
Comments: 11
Kudos: 38





	1. Who Lives and Who Dies

Apollo knew, he just _knew_ , that the feeling of security and bliss he felt here on Coruscant, in this world he chose to live, wouldn’t last long. The more time he spent here, living a life that was nowhere near what he grew up dealing with, and falling in love with Fives so hard and fast that it made his head spin in pure _joy_ , the more he was putting himself at risk. 

Fives, the man he loved more than anyone in his entire life, even more than Icarus (he didn’t think that was even remotely possible) didn’t know who he was, and with each new day they were together made the weight in his chest grow more and more, because Fives had the right to know who he was. _What_ he was. 

But Apollo was afraid, and he couldn’t remember the last time he ever felt like this. Not when Ares came after him, not when Hades dragged him to Hell, and not when Zeus captured him during the War, torturing him for intel on those that opposed him, his own _children_. 

_The War_. He ran from that, from his duties and loyalties. From his family, his _sister_ , without a second thought when the chance popped up for him. The war here, in this galaxy, broke the last remaining sigil that kept the Gods away, put in place by the Jedi over a thousand years ago. When the opportunity arose, Apollo didn’t even hesitate. 

But he feared that by telling Fives, it would break that last strand of sanity in him. Apollo wasn’t someone to be worshipped, not with the things he’s done in his life, but Fives looked at him like he was his entire _world_ , and it made his throat close with so much emotion, _too much emotion_ , that he wasn’t used to. 

What he told Fives was the truth, though. How he’s spent his entire life fighting his own family, killing each other, and that he had to bury more than enough siblings to last him a long time. But he didn’t know why. 

The war broke out because of Zeus. He had gone too far this time, using Kratos to his biding, manipulating him with old magic not even the Titans dared to touch. A lot of his children were furious with him for it, because Kratos was the God of strength and power, but never _dared_ to lay a single finger on someone who didn’t deserve it. He went missing, and everyone thought him dead for years before he resurfaced again, killing without thought and the Mark of Zeus bright red and burning on his throat. 

A lot of his children said it wasn’t any of their business what the King of the Gods did with them, because without him bedding their mothers, none of them would exist. Others, like Apollo himself, said it wasn’t right, that Zeus had abused his power once more and needed to be stopped before he hurt more of his children. 

Zeus was an awful father, pitting each other against the other and sitting back and watching it all unfold with utter amusement. Even Hades despised him for his actions against Kratos, because, though the two butted heads more often then not, Hades and Kratos respected one another. 

It got to the point in the war where Apollo couldn’t take it anymore. Other than his twin, Artemis, Hermes was his closest sibling, his brother. Though their relationship started out rocky, they grew close as the years went on and were at each others sides more often then not. Zeus killed Hermes in front of Apollo, and that was the last straw for him. 

He thought that coming here, he would be safe from the war. Three years of living a normal life and being mortal (a year and a half of that spent loving Fives) made him rusty in figuring out telling signs he would normally be able to pick up on. 

Apollo thought he was safe, but now Galactic Senators were being murdered, with the last attempt being on Senator Amidala. She survived, thankfully, but the attack happened when Fives and him were over at her place, celebrating the birth of her’s and Anakin’s twins with everyone else. 

When Apollo saw the spear staring right at him that almost hit the Senator if her husband wasn’t fast enough to react, he knew exactly who was killing the Senators. Athena, Goddess of War. 

Apollo felt sick at the thought of it, staring out the window in the kitchen as rain poured down outside, thunder cracking across the sky. Fives was soundly asleep in their room, passed out from how late it was, and with the rain outside, it pushed him into a deeper sleep that allowed Apollo to leave their bed to think in peace. 

But it wasn’t hard to miss the sound of someone moving around their apartment, and Apollo sighed. Fives would be questioning why he was awake and not turning to him for help (they promised each other, after all the nightmares they held each other through, that sleep was nothing in comparison to helping the other get out of their own head), and Apollo steeled himself for the questions about to be thrown his way. “Everything’s fine, Fives. Go back to bed. I’ll be in in a minute.” 

“Ah, so that’s your latest love interests name.” Apollo whipped around faster than possible, his shoulders tensed as he looked at the tan skin and dark hair of Athena, who was smirking at him with a mirthless glint in her eyes. “I can’t _wait_ to tell Artemis you left Olympus for him.” 

“Athena,” Apollo breathed, trying to control the pounding in his heart. He’s never felt fear so strongly before. “Why are you here?” 

“Did you really think you could hide from us, brother?” Apollo watched her move around his kitchen before a second figure appeared behind her, and there, standing in all her glory, with eyes the same shade of blue as his own, auburn hair flowing down her shoulders in waves, a bow on her back and one of her many hunting dogs at her side, was Artemis. 

Her hound, at the sight of him, stiffened, and his hunches rose as a growled ripped its way past his lips, and Apollo prayed Fives didn’t wake, didn’t come looking for him anytime soon while he dealt with his sisters. 

“Why are you here?” Apollo asked again, feeling his arm itch where the tattoo of his bow sat. A gift from Hephaestus, in case he ever lost his bow in battle. The urge to repeat the saying that came with the tattoo to bring his weapon to life was almost hard to fight most days, missing the familiar touch of his weapon, but he sought out Fives instead when the memories of war and death threatened to overtake him. 

Artemis regarded him for a second as she walked towards him, her steps graceful. Everything about her was graceful, even when she in the midst of battle, shooting down her own siblings. She cupped his cheek and looked him over, and Apollo fought himself from leaning into her touch. “ _Mou leípeis, kai den boreís na peis geia_?” 

Apollo closed his eyes at her words, taking in a deep breath. He missed her, too. Leaving her behind, along with everything else, was probably the hardest thing’s ever had to do. But Fives wasn’t safe with them here. No one was. Their world was sealed from this one for a reason. He needed to know why they were here. 

“ _Giatí eísai edó, Ártemis_?” Apollo asked, looking at her, his eyes open and bright in the faint city glow from outside the window. Artemis took a step back like hearing him ask her for the third time why they were here stung her. Maybe it did. Maybe she wanted some type of reunion. All Apollo wanted was for them to _leave_. The urge to grab his bow became even stronger. 

Her hound growled at him for in some way hurting its master, but Athena sighed, crossing her arms as she looked at him. “I see your pleasantries have been thrown out the window after living with _ágrioi_ for so long.” 

Apollo sighed, his nostrils flaring. “Don’t me ask why you’re here one more time.” 

“Fine,” Athena said, mock surrender in her voice as she lifted her hands in defense. She took a calculating step forward, and Apollo cursed silently for leaving himself so vulnerable. His two sisters had the better advantage to grab him and drag him back to Mount Olympus kicking and screaming. 

“We figured out how Zeus managed to put the mark on Kratos. It was Circe, daughter of Helios. She gave him the spell he wanted, and Zeus had to pick a viable child to put it on. He chose Kratos out of all of us,” Athena said. Apollo could pick up on the bitter tone in her voice, and he couldn’t help but snort at her words. 

“Sucks not being dad’s favorite, huh?” Apollo asked. Athena narrowed her eyes at him as she took a warning step forward. 

“Watch it, _brother_. You came here without the protection of Hera. You’re mortal. You’re weak.” Apollo didn’t miss the warning in her voice, but that’s not what drew his attention. 

“Hera gave you the ruin to come here?” Apollo asked, confused, his blue eyes going from one sister to the other. Athena snorted at his words. 

“You’ve missed a lot since you abandoned us to die, Apollo. Hera has had enough of her husband's shit to side with us, along with Hades, _officially_ , and we’re still working on Poseidon. But we’re almost positive he’ll join us too when we break Zeus’ hold on Kratos.” There was a bitter tone to Athena’s words, and Apollo couldn’t help but flinch at her words. He didn’t want to watch anyone else die. That’s _why_ he left. 

Apollo decided to ask about Kratos, because Kratos, though no one really knew his parentage, was still a brother in everything except blood. _Look where that got him_ , Apollo thought bitterly. 

“How do you plan on freeing Kratos from Zeus?” Athena looked at Artemis at Apollo’s question, and Artemis took a deep breath before she placed her hands on her hips, leveling her younger brother with a look. “We need your help.” 

“No,” Apollo said immediately, not even hesitating. He _refused_ to play this game anymore. 

“All you need to do is spread a disease throughout Zeus’ ranks so we can get to Kratos and-” Athena started, but Apollo cut her off, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake Fives. 

“You want me to weaken out siblings with a _plague_?” Apollo asked, looking between the two. When all he got back were silent stares, Apollo scoffed as he turned away, intending to head back to his room where Fives was sleeping peacefully and lock the door behind him, not caring about the two, so long as they left before Fives woke up. 

Apollo forgot how quick his sisters were, because before he could make it out of the kitchen, Athena was on him, pinning him to the wall, a knife to his throat as she looked up at him, her gaze hard and set in stone. Apollo didn’t even flinch. 

“You helped us start this was, brother,” Athena grit out, venom in her words. Apollo held her gaze out of spite. “And you’re going to help us finish it.” 

“What makes you so confident that I will?” Apollo asked, shoving against her to get her off him. Athena didn’t even stumble as she took a step back, but the sound of his twins' hound growling at him made him send a glare to Artemis. 

“Because, if you don’t, I’ll continue killing the Senators,” Athena said as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Apollo narrowed his eyes at her. “You won’t.” 

“Oh, I won’t?” Athena asked, twirling her knife in her hands. Apollo reached for his arm again, simply to feel the familiar rise in skin of his bow. Artemis watched him with a calculating gaze, her hand on her hounds head. “Isn’t there supposed to be a bill brought before the Senate about giving the clones war benefits for fighting so bravely in the war? It would really be a shame for those in support of the bill to suddenly... _start dying_.” 

Apollo froze at his words, ice in his veins and bile in his throat. Senator Amidala has been working so hard since the war ended to give the clones, _Fives and his brothers_ , the benefits they deserved for fighting in a war for a galaxy that didn’t even know they had excited until the war started. Fives, who had been working alongside the Jedi as escorts for their diplomatic and peaceful missions (a majority of his brothers, like Rex and Cody, were there, too), had nothing to say when the news broke out that they might get benefits, and simply held Apollo for hours, stunned into silence. 

If Athena started killing the Senators in support of the bill, it wouldn’t pass, if not get thrown out completely because of how many might die at Athena’s hands. 

Athena smirked at him, knowing he was caught, before she turned and made her way to the door, Artemis in tow. She was the one to speak next, and Apollo knew, then, that Athena was in charge now, when before it was the twins, Apollo and Artemis, leading their siblings against their retched father. “You have a week to decide before the killings start again. You better pray to Cronus that Fives understands why you’re leaving and that you’re never coming back.” 

Then they were gone, leaving Apollo frozen in place. He thumped his head into the wall in defeat, grabbing his hair and tugging on it. 

Unbeknownst to him, Fives lay awake in their bed, had been since Apollo left, and heard the entire thing.


	2. Chapter 2

When Fives was still a cadet on Kamino, he was taught about the Gods. It was when he was seven (technically fourteen), and everything they were taught was ingrained into their heads. The Kaminoans told them learning about the Gods was the most important thing they had to learn, because a long time ago, the Gods were the biggest threats the Jedi ever faced. 

They came long before the Sith Wars broke out, promising to help the people of the galaxy, but it soon turned into a game for them. They destroyed planets, killed thousands, and completely obliterated societies, and had them wiped off the map. Peaceful planets were turned into war-hungry worlds, and monarchies and democracies were knocked down with tyrants and dictators taking their places, completely wiping away and rebuilding their people’s history. 

The Gods joined with the Sith during the thousand-year period known as the New Sith Wars that ended a thousand years ago, and with it ended the reign of the Gods. They were banished from the galaxy, being locked away in their home realm of Greece and Mount Olympus, and were never seen again. 

The Kamionans taught them that the Jedi were outnumbered and were desperate for something, _anything_ , to give them an edge to the war, and they were taught that a handful of Gods came to them and offered them a solution. A promise of a new age where the Sith were gone and the Gods would never bother them again. 

The Gods that came to them were nameless, only faint descriptions of who they were offered to Fives and his batchmates when they were young. The Jedi knew who they were, kept their names written in a record of what they did, what they offered to do, but had it been buried deeply in the Archives, so much so that once the file was activated, the Master of the Order would find whoever was looking and ask them why they wanted to know. 

Fives wanted to know who those Gods were, especially now, knowing Apollo, the man he gave his life to, was a God. God of what? The Kaminoans taught them about all the important figures in Greece and Mount Olympus, including the Twelve Olympians, the rulers of their home. 

Zeus, the father of all and King of the Gods, was the God of the sky, thunder, and lightning. He wasn’t a loyal husband, having dozens of mistresses and children that were in no way related to his wife, Hera, the Queen of the Gods. Fives remembers talking with Hevy after their class ended about how much of a whore Zeus was. 

Hades, the God of the dead and King of the underworld, and Poseidon, the God of the seas, were his brothers. When they defeated their father together, they split the land into three sections for each of them to rule. They were considered the most powerful of the Gods, and the most terrifying, and their reputations alone made people fear them. 

Besides the three brothers and Hera, the other Twelve Olympians remain based on who was telling the story. The Kaminoans told them it was always up for debate, and the secret remained hidden with the Gods themselves, but there were four who remained well known throughout the history of the Gods, and each story the Kaminoans told them had at least one of them in it. They were told these four were Olympians, and who were suspected of being the ones to come to the Jedi a thousand years ago to give them the solution of freeing themselves of both the Gods and the Sith. 

Athena and Ares were both Gods of War. While Athena focused more on strategic planning and mathematics, Ares was more focused on the violent and physical aspects of war (the actual fighting and bloodshed). They were polar opposites of each other and never got along, but they could work well together in war. 

Artemis, the Goddess of the hunt and wild animals, was the older twin to Apollo, the God of medicine and archery and the sun. 

Fives looked over the page on his datapad as he tucked himself further away in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, none too eager to go home. For the first time since meeting Apollo, Fives didn’t want to go home and see him, not yet. He needed to know. He needed to be _prepared_ for when he did get home, because he had thousands of questions, and he didn’t care how long it took, but Apollo was going to answer every single one of them before Fives even considers staying in the apartment with him. 

The night before came to the forefront of his mind as he looked over the names on his ‘pad. Fives wasn’t supposed to be awake when the Gods came and cornered Apollo. He knew that, but his mind had screamed at him to wake up when Apollo left him alone in the middle of the night, and now he knows why. 

Fives wasn’t supposed to find out about Apollo, he knew that. Apollo kept it hidden for a reason. And Fives, well, when Apollo came back to bed and pulled him close, Fives couldn’t find it in himself to relax and fall back asleep. How was he supposed to when the man he shared a bed with, has been sharing a bed with since the night they met, was a God? 

Gods were ruthless and destructive and used humans as pawns in their long drawn-out games, eager to watch as nothing but death and destruction surrounded them. They were violent and possessive and just... _disgusting_ creatures the galaxy decided to throw at people, kind of like a rabid animal. 

But, no matter how much Fives wanted to compare Apollo to the others, to look at him and hate him, he couldn’t. Apollo was the sweetest and most caring and understanding person Fives had the privilege of knowing, even more so than Obi-Wan, and it made Fives ache deep in his chest, because now he didn’t know what to do. 

Looking back down at his ‘pad, Fives scrolled through the page on Apollo, reading over the things he should have picked up on sooner. 

Apollo was the God of the sun, and Fives couldn’t remember him ever sleeping in. He always woke with the sun, rising out of bed as it rose in the sky, basking Coruscant with its blinding light. 

He was the God of medicine, and Apollo worked at a medical research facility not too far from the Jedi Temple or their apartment. As Fives looked through that bit of information, he sucked in a shaky breath as he read over the small piece of information that said Apollo was responsible for figuring out the compound of bacta - kavam and alazhi bacteria combined with ambori fluid - effectively replacing its predecessor, juvan. 

Fives mentally kicked himself when he got to the next part, seeing a picture he used to study constantly, an image of a drawing of Apollo, a tattoo of a bow on his arm that Fives traced with his fingers on the daily. It was an exact copy of the bow Apollo owned, but the tattoo was a gift from Hephaestus in case he lost his in battle. With the right words, it would come to life and he could use it to his advantage. 

How did Fives miss all this? He was taught about this for _months_ on Kamino, had the best score in his batch (even better than _Echo_ ) when it came down to the final, and yet, he seemed to forget it all when Apollo looked at him the first time. 

Something warm was making its way down Fives’ face, and he lifted his hand, confused, only to feel he was crying. He let out a shuddering breath, his heart constricting and his lungs burning, as he set the ‘pad down next to him, pulling his legs up to press his knees to his chest. 

His personal comm started beeping then, and Fives knew it was Apollo, wondering where he was. He was never this late coming home, and if he ever had to stay late at the Temple, he always made sure Apollo knew in advance because Apollo worried just as much as Anakin did about Padmé. The thought made a choked sob rip its way past his lips. 

Fives loved Apollo, so much so that most days it threatened to overwhelm him. He was hopelessly, maddeningly, and _wholly_ in love with Apollo, and there was no going back or loving anyone else for him. It was easy for him to realize that, how much the thought of it burned into his soul and made itself at home in between his ribs where his heart was. 

And- 

Apollo chose him, at 79’s that night. He could’ve picked anyone, or gone anywhere else, that night. But he was there, at 79’s, for who knows how long, and took one look at Fives and _wanted_ him. A clone, one marked by war and the loss of his entire batch minus Echo, one deemed a traitor of the Republic before Dooku surrendered. One broken and thought couldn’t be fixed. 

That had to mean something, Fives was positive of it. He wasn’t one for believing in the Force, always thought it was a bunch of _osik_ , but the Jedi relied on it, trusted it with their lives and gave their lives to it in return, so why couldn’t a simple clone like Fives trust it, too? 

Fives took in a deep breath before pulling himself to his feet, grabbing his bucket and his ‘pad before making his way out of the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _osik_ \- basically means shit
> 
> the whole thing about bacta is true, except for the fact it was invented about 200 years before the clone wars started, but for the sake of this story, apollo helped invent it over a thousand years ago because he's a sweetheart and likes helping people
> 
> also fives and some of his brothers (a lot, actually) still work with the jedi


	3. Chapter 3

Apollo came to Coruscant because it was easy to get lost in the large cities’ society. It was easy to slip in unnoticed and blend in, and he knew it would be hard for anyone looking for him to find him if his siblings found out the gateway was open again. He didn’t plan to fall in love, or for that person to be close to Jedi and Senators alike. He didn’t plan for anything that’s happened to happen. He just...went with the flow, letting it wash over him like the tide until it dragged him under and threatened to drown him. 

Fives knew who he was, Apollo was sure of it. It wasn’t that hard to figure out as he watched him scramble out of the apartment that morning, completely avoiding Apollo like he was a plague. Apollo could feel the change in the air the second he woke up alone in bed that morning. If Fives didn’t know who he was, then Apollo had no idea why he was acting so distant. 

Because now he wasn’t home, which was completely unlike him one bit. If he had to stay late at the Temple, he would’ve told Apollo earlier in the day. Actually, he would’ve _talked_ to Apollo earlier in the day. Apollo hasn’t heard from him since he left that morning, and it left a gaping hole in his chest right where his heart sat. 

Apollo wanted to scream. He wanted to find the tallest building here on Coruscant and stand on top of it, letting the rain wash over him as he screamed his throat raw, hoping he could drown in the sound and beg someone to take the pain away. He wanted desperately to leave everything behind and finally have a life of his own without any of his siblings, but it seemed fate had a different plan for him, and he wanted to scream and scream and _scream_ until he couldn’t anymore. 

He’s tried so many times to distance himself from the people he called family. He’s tried running, but no matter where he went, someone found him. He’s gone to the ends of the _Earth_ to hide, but someone always found him, and he was dragged back into the mess that was his life, and there was no escaping it. 

Apollo wanted to rip his hair out and cry until he couldn’t feel his lungs anymore. He wanted to be left alone for the rest of eternity and do his own thing instead of constantly fighting his own siblings. He wanted a different life, a life where he could finally be happy and one day _die_ like everyone else around him instead of watching everyone else around him _die_ while he stayed the same. He wanted to hold Fives close and never let him out of his sight, but now Fives didn’t even want to be _near_ him. 

A heavy, tired sigh passed Apollo’s lips as he stopped his pacing and looked around the apartment. When he first arrived on Coruscant and bought this place, it wasn’t home, just a place he lived in after he came home from work. He tried avoiding this place as much as possible, but ever since he met Fives, it started to feel like home. 

_Home_. 

In all the years Apollo has been alive, nothing ever felt like home. Not the island he was born on, not Olympus, not staying with Icarus before he died, _nothing_. Here, on Coruscant, it finally felt like home, like a place he belonged with people that actually cared about him. 

But just like every other God-forsaken time he’s found a slice of peace, his siblings came and ruined it. This time felt different, though. This time, with Athena’s threat still fresh in his mind, it made him feel like this was the end of something, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“Tik tok, brother. Six days left.” 

Apollo cursed and whirled around, coming face to face with Athena, who stood not even a foot from him, a coy smirk on her face. Apollo narrowed his eyes, staring her down, urging her to try something, but the look on her face grew at the sight of him so displeased by her presence. 

“Do I need to break my word and start killing more Senator’s to get you to realize how serious this is?” Athena asked, getting closer to Apollo. Apollo hardened his stare and kept his mouth shut. 

Athena watched him, amused, before she rolled her eyes and took a step back before she moved around the room, looking at everything Apollo and Fives owned. Apollo felt annoyance blossom in his chest as she touched a picture of himself and Fives on the wall. It was from their anniversary six months ago. 

“He’s cute, I’ll give you that. But is he really worth risking all those Senators' lives for? I’m sure if he found out, he’d be more than willing to kick you out the door.” Apollo didn’t even hesitate as he looked down at the bow on his arm, the gift from Hephaestus, before repeating the simple saying his brother gave him. 

The bow came to life in his hand, and he aimed it at Athena’s head all in one breath, his grip on it not even wavering as she turned to look at him, the golden arrow tip catching the glint of a lamp in the room, making it shine like the sun. 

“Is that really necessary?” Athena deadpanned, unimpressed. Apollo glared at her before he finally spoke. “Leave. _Now_.” 

Athena held up her hands in fake surrender, the smirk coming back to life on her beautiful, yet haunting face. “Fine. _Fine_. But remember, lover boy. Your time is running out.” 

All Apollo did was glare at her, tightening his grip on his bow. Athena sighed and rolled her eyes as she looked him over, seeing how tense he was. “You know what to do to find me.” 

Then she was gone, disappearing into the shadows of his apartment as the sun set outside. Apollo sagged in relief once she was gone, feeling an ache in his bones he hasn’t felt in a long time. He stared at the spot where she stood a moment before, looking up at the picture on the wall. 

_A year of lies_ , Apollo thought, taking a step closer. _A year of lies, and you expect him to beg you to stay?_

Apollo felt his throat tighten as tears formed in his eyes. He removed the picture from the wall and looked down at it, feeling his heart break at the smile on Fives’ face. He was so oblivious to who he was actually dating. Everyone he knew was oblivious to who they spent their time with. Apollo knew the horror stories people told each other about the Gods. If Fives knew, it was only a matter of time before everyone else did, too, and the Jedi wouldn’t stand to let a God walk around freely in their galaxy. 

_The gateway will close again_ , Apollo thought, feeling a heavy resignation form in his chest as he closed his eyes. 

The Jedi couldn’t know who he was, not until he explained himself to Fives and managed to salvage whatever he could. Even if he couldn’t, it wouldn’t matter, because once he was gone, the Jedi would try to close the gateway behind him, and he’d never be able to come back. 

But Fives deserved an explanation, even if he didn’t forgive him in the end. After lying for so long, it was the least he could do. 

And besides, he was leaving anyway. He was already losing the peace and comfort of Coruscant. If he lost Fives, it would be the icing on the cake for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is kind of a mess but i feel like the next chapter will be too, but I'm still excited to write it


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Fives made it home, the sun had already set, casting Coruscant in the nightglow of the city lights as people moved around like everything was normal. Normal for them, at least. Fives was about to get a wake-up call on how small his galaxy actually was. 

He took the elevator up to their apartment, none too eager to step out of the door when it opened, but he gave a resigned sigh and stepped off, watching it close behind him before he walked down the hall. When he got to his door, he punched in the code, and it opened soundlessly, a small reprieve Fives was thankful for right now, but he froze in the doorway as he looked around the room. 

For the two of them, with neither himself nor Apollo holding a lick of style whatsoever, their apartment was well furnished and felt like home. As Fives looked around, he noticed certain things were missing around the place, things he’s seen Apollo pick up from time to time that he thought looked nice. Everything of Apollo’s was gone, leaving the apartment feeling bare. 

Dread pooled in the pit of Fives’ stomach as he kicked off his boots and began removing his armor, setting it in its normal spot. He looked around, seeing no trace left of Apollo in the apartment. It was like he never even _lived_ here. 

Fives paused though, just about to take off his utility belt after already setting down his blasters, when he noticed the datapad laying open on the counter, as if waiting for Fives to read it. He walked over to it with only the bottom half of his armor on and picked up the ‘pad, reading it over. 

Alarm flared through Fives’ chest as he read it over again before he shook his head, lowering the 'pad as he looked around the place. Something twisted in his chest as he felt his nerves spike before he called out, “Apollo?” 

There wasn’t an answer, but the sound of someone moving in the bedroom caught his attention, causing him to rush in, seeing Apollo standing there, staring out the window, his arms crossed over his chest with something akin to defeat on his face. He turned to look at Fives when he entered, but he didn’t say a word. 

“What is this?” Fives demanded, his heart pounding in his chest as he raised the datapad for Apollo to see. Apollo eyed it like it personally wronged him, and Fives had the strong urge to stroll up to him and kick his shin because this was his idea, not Fives’. 

“We need to talk,” Apollo said, his voice caring a tone that Fives has never heard from him before. It’s like he was… _afraid_. 

“Yeah, _we need to talk_. Why are you signing the _apartment_ over to me?” Fives could feel the panic spike in his chest as he said the words aloud, as if saying it made it more real. In a way, it did, because that could only mean one thing; Apollo was leaving. 

For a second, on his way home from the Temple, Fives thought that maybe, just _maybe_ , they could work this out. Fives knew about Apollo, could learn anything he wanted to about him and everything he’s done in his life by simply going to the Archives at the Temple or, if he didn’t feel like reading, could pull up a holofilm about the Gods. But Apollo wasn’t trying to salvage anything they had. He was running. 

“Fives,” Apollo said, and this time, Fives could hear the defeat in his voice. “I know you know.” 

Fives lowered the ‘pad as he looked at Apollo. That’s what made this whole thing hurt even more - Apollo lying to him for so long, the thought of Apollo _leaving_ \- because Apollo _knew_ Fives better than anyone out there. Fives told him things not even his _brothers_ knew. 

“Which is why,” Apollo started, taking the steps needed to close the distance between the two before he grabbed the ‘pad from Fives’ hands and looked down at it. “I’m leaving.” 

“You’re not even going to try and fix things between us?” Fives asked, something akin to hostility tainting his words as his eyes narrowed on Apollo. Apollo sighed and took a step back, shaking his head as he went before his eyes locked on Fives’. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

“ _What_?” Fives asked, watching as Apollo averted his gaze, his eyes landing on the tattoo on Fives' forehead. “You can’t be-” 

“I’ve done bad things in my life, Fives. I thought maybe I could move past it all when I got here, but someone’s past can never stay hidden, and I’m _proof_ of that. You don’t deserve that,” Apollo said, his voice soft, as he turned away from Fives and looked back out the window. 

Fives thought of that night, where Apollo was completely vulnerable and broken before Fives, and he let him put his broken pieces back together and hold him close when his mind was trying to drown him. Fives didn’t know much about Apollo’s past, but he knew enough. 

“You know, I was terrified to come home today,” Fives started, watching Apollo as he tried to hide his flinch at Fives’ words. “Because on Kamino, we were taught the Gods were the biggest threat the Jedi had ever faced, and the Gods wiped out _hundreds_ of them through the years. And so we were taught to hate them because we were made for the Jedi.” 

Apollo didn’t say a word as Fives took in a deep breath and took a step forward, closing the distance some between the two of them, yet it still felt like an entire ocean was between them. 

“But you wanna know what I did today? It was a pretty slow day. I had a lot of free time on my hands. I went to the Temple’s Archives and pulled out some ‘pads about the Gods and read all I could about you and your family. Wanna know what I found?” Fives asked. Apollo turned some to look at Fives, his eyes distant, but other than that, he didn’t say a word. 

“I found that you have fought _so hard_ for the people of the galaxy. You helped them in any way you could, and you invented the most important medical tool in modern history. And no one even _asked_ you to,” Fives said, his voice soft as he reached out and grabbed Apollo’s hand lightly in his. Apollo bit his lip before he shook his head and met Fives’ gaze. “Someone had to help pick up the pieces of my siblings' destruction. I couldn’t just leave the people of this galaxy to die.” 

Fives smiled faintly at Apollo’s words before he squeezed his hand. “Is that why you helped the Jedi close the gateway?” 

Apollo’s eyes widened a fraction before he sighed, all the tension leaving his body as his eyes slipped closed. He lifted a hand and rubbed his forehead before he nodded. “How’d you figure it out?” 

“I’ve been studying the real you all day. It wasn’t hard to figure out,” Fives shrugged. Apollo opened his eyes and gazed at him before he cocked a brow, causing Fives to huff in slight indignation. “Okay, I promised R2 a trip to the droid spa if he got me the file without alerting anyone to what he was doing.” 

Apollo smiled faintly at that before it disappeared as his eyes seemed to fog over, remembering a time long ago. “My people spent two-thousand-years here, and in only fifty years since arriving, a lot of them were _fucking_ everything up. They were destroying everything the galaxy had to offer, and when the New Sith Wars started, I fought with everyone to help me convince Zeus to leave this place behind. That it wasn’t worth being here if all we were going to do was destroy it.” 

Apollo paused, rubbing his free hand over his eyes as he took in a deep breath before continuing. “About five-hundred-years after the war started, I gave up trying to convince people to help me stop Zeus and instead looked for an alternative. The Gods needed to leave, and I was more than willing to have all of Olympus’ wraith on my head to do it. So I found a spell in the library on Olympus, but I couldn’t do it alone. I needed three others, and the help of the Jedi to close the gateway.” 

Fives watched Apollo, seeing the weight of everything land squarely on his shoulders. Fives tightened his hold on Apollo’s hand before taking a small step forward. “It took me _years_ to find Artemis, and then another hundred years after to convince her to help me with it. She was too caught up in the warrior mentality and lifestyle of Mandalore to even consider it at first. But she could see how desperate I was to stop everyone that she eventually agreed.” 

“I read about that. They practically worshipped her,” Fives said, his voice soft. Apollo laughed sadly at his words as he nodded his head. “From what I’ve heard about Mandalorians today, a lot of what they know was taught by her over a thousand years ago.” 

Fives smiled ruefully, watching Apollo take in a deep breath. “Who were the other two that helped?” 

Apollo snorted as he shook his head faintly and met Fives’ eyes again. The light from outside made the blue shine like a star. “Believe it or not, but the other two were Athena and Ares. The two could hardly stand to be in the same room with each other for more than five minutes, yet they both agreed that if the other agreed to it, then they would, too.” 

“What happened after that?” Fives asked, running his thumb over the back of Apollo’s hand. Apollo bit his lip and looked out the window to his right, the Jedi Temple sitting in the distance. 

“The Jedi were none too pleased to see us, I’ll admit. And I can’t say I blamed them. But they were eager for a solution at that point. So many Jedi had died during the war, and the Sith just kept getting stronger and the Gods more powerful. If they could eliminate one threat, then the other would be easier to deal with.” Apollo’s voice was soft as he spoke this time, as if he was thrown back in time to that moment where he could finally put an end to the bloodshed in the galaxy that was caused by his own family. 

“The gateway was sealed not too long after we reached out to the Jedi, and from what I’ve read about what happened after we left, the war ended about fifty years later, so,” Apollo said, his voice trailing off as he looked back down at the ground. Fives stared at Apollo then, eyeing the man who practically _saved_ the galaxy from imploding on itself, before he reached forward with his other hand and cupped Apollo’s cheek, forcing him to meet his gaze. 

When their eyes met, Fives couldn’t help but take in how bright they were, and it only took him a handful of seconds before he realized it was because there were tears in his eyes on the verge of spilling. Fives furrowed his brows and took the last step forward that closed the distance, moving his one hand up to cup Apollo’s other cheek just as he let out a sound that was close to a sob. 

“I’m so sorry, Fives,” Apollo choked out, his throat working around the sob that Fives knew wanted to come out, and before Apollo could say anymore, he pulled Apollo into him, wrapping his arms around the taller man and letting him all but collapse in his arms. “ _I’m sorry_. I should have never lied to you. I should have told you who I was when we met.” 

“Yeah,” Fives said, his throat feeling tight as his own emotions hit him like a wave. He tightened his hold on Apollo. “You should’ve.” 

“I’ll tell you anything you want,” Apollo whispered, all but shaking in Fives’ arms. “I promise.” 

Fives didn’t say anything to Apollo after that, just simply held him, hoping to anchor him in some way before he completely broke in front of Fives. Apollo wasn’t out of the woods yet; Fives still needed answers, and then after that, it would take time for him to accept that the man he loved was a damn _God_. But it was a start, and Fives will gladly take it.

**Author's Note:**

>  _Mou leípeis, kai den boreís na peis geia?_ \- I missed you, and you don't even say hello?  
>  _Giatí eísai edó, Ártemis?_ \- Why are you here, Artemis?  
>  _ágrioi_ \- savages


End file.
